Civil War
by TheSilhouette
Summary: Several years before Ocarina of Time, a civil war ensued in the land that will one day be known as Hyrule. As Dark Interlopers attempt to seize the Sacred Realm, Hyrule's army desperately tries to stop their evil deeds. This story follows two warriors from each battling side. When war engulfs the land and the people within, how much will soldiers sacrifice to uphold their beliefs?
1. Opportunity

The autumn brought about a crispness to the air. The leaves were just beginning to turn their red colors on the couple of trees around, and dew was starting to form on the large plain of uncut grass. The moon wasn't there – or at least it appeared so, as no light was shining upon it – which gave the stars a slightly brighter twinkle. One could really enjoy this night… if they weren't running for their life.

_Faster! Faster! _Etana thought to herself as she pumped her arms and pushed her legs to their limit. The cool air began to burn her throat because of how desperately she was inhaling. But it was of no use. The broken shackles wrapped around her wrists and ankles jingled and weighed her down, as well as gave away the fact that she was escaping.

"Halt!" one of the three Kondian soldiers yelled in pursuit. _Oh, yeah, because I'm going to listen to you, _she thought sarcastically, still running. They were gaining on her, and the pain in her legs was slowing her down, too. Etana attempted one last burst of speed before she was tackled to the ground by one of the soldiers.

"RELEASE ME!" she screamed in fury as she writhed beneath her captor, desperately attempting to escape. The man on top of her held her down while the other two forced her arms behind her back, where they were then cuffed together. But she didn't give up. Still writhing and screeching in anger like a child, they lifted the escapee to her feet.

The three men all seemed to be about twenty, and had a muscular build. One was a bit taller than the other two, with short dark hair, hazel eyes, and a chin that jutted out slightly from the rest of his face. The man next to him was as tall as the former's shoulders, with longer hair of the same dark color, and his dark brown eyes stared right through Etana as she was being recaptured. The one who tackled her, who now had his arms wrapped around her torso to restrain her, was in between the two height-wise – just taller than Etana – and had a thin face that held green eyes and short light hair.

"Listen, girl. You lost," said the one restraining her. "It's over." But she didn't stop trying to break free. She began to tire herself out, and still wouldn't give up. She would _not _subdue to the scum bottom-dwellers of the Kondo province.

"Ivan, you sure you got her?" the taller one asked as he took a step forward to help.

"Trust me, she's not going anywhere," replied the one called Ivan. He pulled Etana tighter against his light soldiers' armor, securing his hold on her. The tight hold on the captive forced her to finally give up. _But not for long…_

"How did a little girl like you manage to break free, anyway?" the taller one asked the girl with a smirk.

"I'm not a little girl!" she yelled back. Granted, she was younger than the men, but only by a year or two. She was almost as tall as Ivan, and she was significantly more muscular than most girls her age. The only thing "little" about Etana was the fuse on her temper.

The men laughed at her reply. "Well, you won't tell us your name," started the shorter one, "so we'll just have to call you 'little girl.'"

"Come on, little girl," commanded Ivan as he shoved her along back to the tall, grey castle. "You're going back where you belong." Etana bit her tongue and followed the soldiers. When she got back, she would just break free again, anyways. This fight was not over.

"Hey, guys, wait a second," the shorter one said as he stopped walking, and the others halted, too.

"What's the problem, Itachi?" Ivan asked, not loosening his grip on Etana.

"We're out here alone, aren't we?" Itachi asked as he stepped toward the prisoner. Ivan and the taller one gave each other a confused look. "Why don't we have some fun with her?" he asked in a sinister voice as his gloved hand grazed the thigh of her skin-tight black body suit.

"Itachi, no!" Ivan replied as he spun around, putting himself between the girl and the harasser. Etana's eyes shut in fear and let the guard hold her, feeling unusually safe in the enemy's arms momentarily. "Drury, handle him, please!"

The tallest one, now revealed as Drury, placed his hand on Itachi's chest to keep him from coming any closer. "Listen, kid," he said, looking down at him. "You're new here, so that'll be strike one." He pushed him back with his one hand. "We have a code."

"Th...thank you," Etana whispered to her saviors.

Ivan shoved her forward to the castle in response. "Don't take it personally. You're still going back into a higher security cell."

The short walk back to the castle was taken in silence. Etana was taken up one of the towers to another cell, where she was again chained to the wall and floor. The cell had a grey cement floor, three stone walls, one barred wall, and a small bed.

"Are these chains necessary?" she asked Ivan, who sat on a chair just outside the cell in watch, as she tugged against her metal restraints.

"I don't know how you got out of them the first time," he began, staring at her inquisitively, "but you're a slippery one. We're taking all precautionary measures."

Etana sat down on the cold, hard floor, causing the shackles to jingle, and leaned her head against the side wall. Her eyes began scanning the room intensely, looking for something and devising a plan. _There has to be something…_

"What are you doing?" Ivan asked when he noticed her observing the room.

"Planning my escape," she replied nonchalantly as her eyes darted back and forth, looking for sharp objects or vents.

"Oh?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow. "And to where are you escaping, exactly?"

"Back to-" the prisoner began before she was cut off.

"Don't say back to Ilom. That land will be vanquished soon enough by the forces of Kondo."

"Darkness _will_ rise and seize the Sacred Realm!" Etana declared.

Ivan rolled his eyes. "I don't think the goddesses will let it go that far. They overpower any and all mortal beings in this land. Your efforts are useless."

Etana stood up and held on to the bars loosely as she stared at the boy. "We have magic. We can try."

Ivan again rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "What's with all this 'we' talk? You're not one of them."

"I am an Interloper!" she exclaimed, getting angry and tightening her grip on the bars.

Laughing, he replied, "I've seen those Dark Interlopers. You're nowhere near their level. And even then, our swords can still cut right through them."

"How do you know I'm not powerful like them?" she asked, glaring.

"They sent you here on a suicide mission. You're useless to them."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Etana screamed, her grip on the cell bars becoming even tighter as she fought back tears of anger in her eyes.

"Stealing the Dusk Stone from General Hyrule is not the job of one little girl. You were sent here to get caught and relieve the burden from the Ilomians." The girl began to growl. "Why do you think we haven't questioned you? You know nothing."

Etana wanted to shriek, to destroy everything around her out of pure rage. The anger built up inside her as the blood in her veins pumped harder, until it became the only thing she could feel and hear. The devastating part was that this was all true. She could never master the simplest of dark spells. They didn't want her. She wanted to kill Ivan for confirming what she denied in her heart, but all she did was fall to her knees in silence.

It was true. She had nowhere to go, and no reason to live. It was as if her denial had kept her going, and now that was vanquished so that the truth was revealed, and it hurt. She was so angry at the land of Ilom, at Ivan, and at herself, but she could say nothing in rebut. Etana began scanning the room again, this time for something with which to end it all…

"That was harsh…" Ivan started as he approached the cell. "I'm sorry."

Etana remained silent, not acknowledging the boy's existence. She stared down at the floor in defeat and let her short, wavy blonde hair conceal her face. Ivan sat down on the floor in front of her and tried to catch her eye.

"I got caught up in my hatred for Ilom. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You probably hate them as much as I do, now," Ivan confessed. The girl thought this over, still not looking at him. It was true. She hated them, but for different reasons. He hated them for trying to abuse the power of the Triforce, while she hated them for what they had done to her. She didn't care about power, even when she was still on the Ilom side. She just wanted to prove herself, to be worth something.

"Etana," she mumbled in response.

"What?" Ivan asked, confused.

"My name. It's Etana."

"Oh… I, uh," the boy stuttered. "I'm Ivan." He reached his hand twixt the cell bars to shake hers.

"Don't try to be civil after you told me I'm worthless," She spat back at him. "Why the sudden change of heart, anyway?"

Ivan pulled his hand back. "My job is to keep prisoners in line. You're not a prisoner." Etana looked back at him and caught his eye, but before she could respond, he continued. "You're lost."

The girl glared at him, not willing to accept his kindness anytime soon. "I don't know what kind of sick game you're trying to play, but I'm not falling for it." She rose to her feet in anger and plopped down in the opposite corner, bringing her chains with her. "Just leave me alone and let me rot here in peace."

Ivan opened his mouth to say something, then quickly shut it and went back to his chair where he sat in silence. Nothing he said was going to make Etana think any differently of him. She's been through too much mental trauma for one day. It'd be better if she didn't let things get more confusing.

After a few minutes of angry silence, a fairly large, older man appeared in the doorway of the cell room. He wore an orange tunic with the symbol of the triforce in yellow, along with a strange bird-like figure holding it up. His hair was beginning to grey, but it added a distinguished look to his already commanding face and stature. Upon noticing his arrival, Ivan stood up.

"Good evening, General Hyrule!" Ivan greeted with a salute.

"At ease, Captain Kinley." He sat back down in his chair. _Captain? _Etana thought, confused. _Then why on guard duty?_ "Young lady," he began, looking at her. The girl only looked up at him, then back to the ground in her corner. "I need to ask you something."

"I know nothing," she replied plainly.

"Tell me this, young one. After we arrested you again this evening, we found several of our guards hidden in closets. Dead." The General began to slowly pace the small room.

"I don't understand the question."

"Was this your doing?" He stopped and raised a suspicious eyebrow at her.

"What's it to you?" Etana responded after a quick stare down. Ivan, listening intently, widened his eyes at her. He would never have suspected this girl to be such a warrior. No, more like… assassin.

"It's quite impressive," Hyrule answered. "The only reason we knew you had escaped is because we spotted the chains that broke off in one of the corridors."

"Why is any of this relevant?" she asked.

"Captain, release her," he commanded. Ivan gave General Hyrule a confused look, but, knowing better than to question the judgment of a superior, did as he was told. He took the keys from where they hung on the side of his belt and unlocked the door. Then, he walked over to Etana to unlock the chains that restrained her. She watched him with an untrusting glare as he used the key to release the hold of the shackles on her ankles, and then as he took her hands gently and released her wrists.

"Why?" she asked with a harsh and suspicious tone as she massaged her sore wrists.

"I'm giving you a second chance," he replied. "Your talent could be well used as a Kondian soldier."

"How do you know I won't run? I could easily do what I did before."

"Don't be so foolish," said a voice from behind the doorway. The tall guard, Drury, appeared, and leaned against the stone wall with his arms crossed. "You're getting a second chance at life, at proving yourself."

"What are you doing here?" Ivan asked as he hooked the keys back onto his belt.

"I'm here just in case little miss berserk here," he nodded his head at Etana, "tries to pull something."

"I…" she began, not sure how to respond to this offer. It would be another chance, but her pride kept pushing her to refuse and call them all fools.

"Listen, girl," Drury continued. "You can restore your honor and become a warrior with us, or you can die in this cell. Your choice."

"Am I… that good?" she asked guardedly.

"Apparently, you took on several of our soldiers without problem," Ivan answered. "But don't flatter yourself. You still wound up in here."

"However," the General continued, "you will still have to be trained, which will be done by these three." Etana was about to ask "three?" when Itachi entered from where Drury did, causing her to plant her feet and growl.

"I don't think that's such a great idea," Ivan confessed as he stood between the two.

"Oh, I'll watch him," Drury volunteered with rolling eyes. Etana relaxed as she remembered how Itachi almost showed fear earlier when he was confronted by his taller, stronger coworker.

"Wait," she said, still guarded. "Why do you want me so bad, anyway?" They seemed like they were trying too hard to convince her to join them. Don't they have enough soldiers? Or are they so desperate that they're using prisoners now?

"Ilom's headquarters has extremely high security. Magical even," Hyrule began to explain.

"You want me as a spy," the girl said plainly.

"You're known there. They would let you in. You could probably even-"

"Sabotage," she cut him off.

"You catch on quick," Drury responded, impressed.

"I lack magic, not logic," she spat back.

Ivan turned to her. "Are you in?"

Etana blew her bangs up in front of her face in thought. "Whatever keeps those chains off of me."


	2. Deceit

"Gah!" Ivan groaned as he fell hard to the ground, his backbone almost shattering. He was about to stand up again when a booted foot stomped on his chest and sent him back down. Etana smirked down at him as she kept him there, digging her heel into his sternum.

"Mercy!" he pleaded, gagging. His assailant lifted her foot and laughed maniacally.

"That's for tackling me," she said matter-of-factly, still smirking, and extended her arm to help the boy back up. He looked up at her and smiled back, then took her hand and got back on his feet.

"Fair enough," Ivan said, brushing himself off.

"You know," began Drury, who had been observing the training session, "you really shouldn't give her a false sense of accomplishment."

"What are you saying? He let me win?" Etana asked as she glared at Drury. She turned back to Ivan and hit him in the shoulder. "Did you let me win?"

Ivan flinched. "No! Why would I do that?"

His friend responded with a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know." He rolled his eyes. "I just think it's funny that you got creamed so easily when, just two nights ago, you seemed to render her helpless with no trouble at all."

Etana scowled, then turned and punched Ivan in the chest as hard as she could. He didn't react in the slightest, only apologized. "I'm sorry…"

"Fight me!" she commanded, her breathing becoming heavy. She clenched her fists at her waist and bared her teeth.

"You're not trained enough…"

"Come on! Let's go!"

Ivan sighed and looked away. "I don't think-"

"Then forget it! I'm done!"

"Etana, wait!" But it was too late. She ran out of the courtyard and back up to her new quarters without looking back.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" the boy asked furiously.

"What's wrong with me? Have you forgotten something?" Drury responded with equal anger as he stood. "We got demoted here for a reason, Ivan. You lost sight of our goal!" Ivan clenched his jaw and glared. "I'm not going down with you again, I'm just not! This is about taking down Ilom, not getting the girl!" Drury approached him and looked him dead in the eye. "Get your priorities in order."

Then, just like Etana, the Kondian soldier left Ivan and stormed back to the castle.

The door creaked open behind Etana. "You could at least leave me with _some_ dignity," she scolded without turning around. Ivan stood just outside the door, hesitant to enter.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't," she said harshly as she spun around on her bed. "The whole reason that I'm doing this is to restore my honor. Instead of crushing it, you could actually train and help me."

"I felt bad about the other night. I just wanted to make it up," Ivan confessed and took a tiny step inside her small room. It was all wood, with a small wooden bed upon which Etana sat, a wardrobe, and the oath of the soldiers engraved on one of the walls.

"By embarrassing me? Thanks a lot," she replied sarcastically and crossed her arms.

"If it's of any consolation, you did hurt me quite a bit." He took another tentative step inside. "You're very good. I'm just… stronger."

The girl held eye contact with him. "I'm just trying to be worth something." She looked down. "I'm sick of being a failure…" Ivan rested his arm against the wall and pressed his forehead against it, closing his eyes. "What's wrong with you?" Etana asked, confused.

After a moment, he answered. "You make me feel bad and…" he walked back toward the door. "I shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, maybe you should leave…" she said, feeling uncomfortable.

Stopping at the exit, Ivan asked "Are we going to continue training?"

Etana stared back at the floor, unsure. She didn't want to embarrass herself again, but, still, it was her only chance at becoming something besides a prisoner. When she didn't answer, the boy turned around.

"Listen, it'll be better this time, I promise." She looked up at him and met his green eyes with her blue ones. "And my promises never break."

Suspicious, the girl stood up. "What's the real reason that you came here?"

"What?" Ivan asked, bewildered.

"I told you, I'm not a fool. Why are you here?"

"To make sure you were alright," he confessed in an uneasy tone.

"And you care because…?"

The boy took a deep breath. "Because we need you here. You're the key to our plan."

Etana stared at him for quite some time, not completely buying this excuse. He had been too nice to her from (almost) the beginning, nicer than anyone else here. There had to be some reason, some explanation for this behavior. Nevertheless, she appreciated his kindness and smiled at him.

"Good night," she told him, and sat back down on her bed.

Ivan smiled back. "Sleep well," he replied, and closed the door behind him.


	3. Injuries

**I probably should have done this in the first chapter:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule, or Link. That's all Nintendo's.**

**... I think that's it. Thanks to those who read, favorited, and reviewed!**

**But we're just getting started...**

* * *

"Now, watch this!" Etana said with a smirk as she snatched the smooth wooden bow from Ivan's hand. "This is where I shine."

"Try not to get too full of yourself," he replied, scoffing. He wasn't going to give her breaks anymore. Per her request, he was going to make her work for her place among the other warriors.

"I'm an assassin, remember?" Etana locked on the cloth target ten yards in front of her, which was shaped like a human. She drew one of the arrows from the quiver on her back by its feather and slid it against the bow, making that smooth, satisfying sound of wood on wood that sang like a melody in her ears. The autumn breeze blew through her short ponytail and burned her countenance with a freezing chill. Steadying her breath, she lifted the bow up and pulled the arrow against the string all the way back to her reddening ear. In a split second, the girl released her grip on the arrow and let it fly straight through the dummy's heart.

Wasting no time, she looked up and spotted the other targets on the higher floors that surrounded the courtyard. Etana repeated the process, quicker this time, and sent an arrow through the heart of a dozen enemies. Ivan stood watching, amazed at her ability, but didn't show it. His facial expression was contemplative.

"They trained you well in Ilom," he said as he observed where her arrows hit every time: straight through the heart.

The girl lowered her bow slowly and looked back at her trainer. "They didn't train me." Ivan raised his eyebrows. "I trained myself."

"You've got archery down, fine, I'll give you that," he confessed. "But you still need training in-" he stopped abruptly and threw a punch at Etana, who, with widened eyes, dropped to the ground in a dodge. She swung her legs into the back of his knees, causing Ivan to fall to the ground, too. Getting up, the girl was preparing to give him a swift kick to the head when he rolled away from her and stood back up.

"Ha, she may lack brute strength," began Drury, who was amusedly watching, "but you have to admit, she's pretty agile."

"You almost hit me in the face!" Etana scolded at her assailant as she was catching her breath. Both of them had their fists balled up in front of their faces, protecting themselves in case of another unexpected attack.

"I'm sorry," Ivan said, dropping his guard. "I-" He was cut off again, but this time by a punch from the girl, square in the jaw. His head jerked to the side in recoil, and slowly turned back to look her in the eye. Widening hers, Etana bolted for the nearest pillar on the side of the courtyard and hid behind it. When she heard him approaching, she removed her belt from her waist and held it firmly in both hands. As he flew past the pillar behind which she was hiding, the girl swung the belt over his head and wrapped it around his neck.

"Dead," she whispered in his ear, squeezing it tighter, but not tight enough to actually kill him. Taking advantage of this, Ivan turned and swept his leg into Etana's causing her to fall and hit her head, first against the column, then the solid ground. As the grip on his neck loosened immediately, the force threw the boy back as well, causing him to stumble back and fall on his head, too.

"Well done, guys," Drury congratulated after they both fell. "That was pretty intense." Ivan slowly sat up and rubbed his head painfully, groaning.

"Yeah, it was," he admitted, finally standing. "Good fight, Etana." He walked over to her and gave her his hand to use to stand up. She didn't respond. "Etana?" Her eyes remained shut and her body still. "Etana!" he called, kneeling down and grabbing her wrist to check for a pulse. "She's alive."

"Should I go get the medics?" asked his friend with a look of concern on his face. Ivan was about to answer "yes," when he felt a slight stir from her. Placing his hand under her head to cushion it, he whispered her name again.

"Etana." Slowly, the girl squinted, then opened her eyes. She let out a groan identical to Ivan's as she blinked a few times, trying to remember what had happened. "Thank the goddesses!" he exclaimed, giving her a big hug. Drury gave him a suspicious look. "I…I would have gotten in so much trouble!"

Etana groaned again as he let go of her. "What happened?" she asked and propped herself up, rubbing the back of her head.

"You hit your head," Drury answered. He then held up his index and middle finger in front of her. "How many fingers?"

"Two," she responded quickly.

"Who am I?" he asked, pointing to himself.

"Drury."

"Who's that?" he quizzed her again, pointing to Ivan.

Etana turned her head to look at him. "Ivan."

"Good, now who are you?"

"I am Etana," she answered confidently.

"I think she's alright," Ivan said, relieved. He extended a hand out toward the girl to help her up, which she gladly took. They rose to their feet together, but as soon as they let go of each others' hand, she stumbled sideways and almost fell. "Whoa!" he cried as he caught her mid-fall.

"We should take her to the medical ward," suggested Drury as he, too, reflexively stepped forward to catch her.

"No, no. I'm fine," she protested, stumbling to stand back on her feet. However, standing erect, she still clung to Ivan's arm for support. Etana hoped that by convincing herself that she was stable, the men would also be convinced. She didn't want to appear feeble in their eyes, like she couldn't take it hit. Her confidence in her stability gradually faded as the courtyard began to spin around her.

"I really don't think so…" Drury began, concerned at the dilation of her pupils.

"Of course you're fine," Ivan said as he glared at his friend. "We're just going to go inside for some hot cocoa. That was a good fight and you deserve cocoa." As the world continued to spin around the girl, she allowed the one supporting her to walk her backward… or forward… sideways? She couldn't tell.

"I like cocoa…" she replied, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "But," she added with a sense of urgency, "I forgot how to swim!" Drury, giving Etana a half confused, half concerned look, went to her other side to help support her.

"It's ok. We'll take the boat," Ivan assured her. She nodded, and unknowingly continued walking with them inside to the medical ward, Ivan praying to the goddesses that she would forgive him when she regained her sanity.


	4. The Best Medicine

_**Hi guys. Thanks to those who are reading this... This is my favorite chapter that I've written so far, so I hope you like it, too.  
Reviews are much appreciated.  
Should probably also add as part of my disclaimer: While this is LoZ, the "Dusk Stone" I referred to in chapter one and will refer to in future chapters is actually the property of Pokemon, though it doesn't serve the same purpose, obviously.  
Have fun?**_

* * *

Etana sat propped up on one of the sterile, white beds of the medical ward, looking dumbfounded at where she had been taken. The scratchy blankets covered half of her legs while one of the older nurses held an icepack to her throbbing head. On the other side of the room, Ivan and Drury stood with another attendant, explaining exactly what had happened to the poor girl.

"She seemed fine right after, but the things she said a minute or so after weren't making sense," finished Ivan, who occasionally took quick glances over at the patient to assure that she was still conscious and faring well. He was getting antsy, as evident by the incessant strumming of his fingers on his thigh. Drury, however, kept close observation on his friend, and caught every glance that he took at the girl.

"You hit your head, too?" the nurse asked as she checked his pupils.

"Yes, but I'm fine. We need to worry about-"

"You say that you're fine now," she interrupted with a matter-of-fact tone, "but that's what Miss Plamen contested before she started suffering symptoms." Ivan furrowed his brow at the middle-aged woman, frustrated at what he knew she was about to say. "We need you to stay here overnight."

"Just stay," Drury persuaded, knowing that his friend was ready to argue. "If anything big happens – which is unlikely – we'll come get you." Ivan looked back over at Etana, who seemed to be having a conversation with her nurse about what had happened. He nodded in compliance and allowed himself to be taken to a bed adjacent to hers. The boy felt completely fine, but figured that this was an opportunity to watch over her and free his guilty conscious of what he had done.

Ivan sat down on the bed next to Etana's, which, like hers, had scratchy covers and thin pillows, and swung his legs atop them, leaning back against the wall. He shifted uncomfortably as he stole another peek at the girl, and got caught. Ashamedly, he averted his eyes to look down at his feet.

"I-Ivan?" she asked, unsure, when her nurse walked away. Looking back up at her, he was finally able to assess the damage; her head was wrapped in gauze that had blood stains on the back, a deep cut on her cheek that had yet to form a scab, and from what he could see of her legs, partly covered by the blankets and her hospital gown, she was scraped and scratched badly.

"I'm so sorry," he confessed, holding his head in his hands. "It will never happen again." He shook his head and looked back at her. "I promise."

"What happened?" Etana asked with a voice as innocent as a child's, which stabbed the guilt deeper into Ivan's conscience. "I remember archery, and then…" she trailed off and remained silent for a moment. "I can't remember…"

"I let my pride take over," the boy confessed as he hung his legs over the side of the bed to face her. "I did this to you." Etana stared intently at his face, trying to recall exactly what had happened. "You won the fight, but I kept going. I'm so sorry," he apologized again, looking into her eyes as a way to beg for forgiveness. Ivan then looked over all of her battle-wounds again, studying and memorizing them. "I didn't mean to…" and he, too, trailed off.

The girl showed him a light smile. "It's ok. I forgive you." The smile pushed on the cut on her cheek - which was probably from when her head and face got thrown against the pillar – causing it to sting slightly, and the smile went back down.

"No, please," he said, shaking his head again. "Don't let me off that easily."

"But I am," she replied tenderly, smiling with the undamaged side of her face.

"Here's a way to make it up," suggested the older nurse as she approached them, staring at her clipboard. "Keep her awake until dawn. She mustn't sleep." She looked over at Ivan. "Both of you."

"I can't sleep?" Etana asked, confused and with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "But it's so late…"

"If you don't wake up, your concussions will turn into comas. Now, it's only a few hours to dawn. I'm sure you can make it through until then." Putting her clipboard down on the bed, she took out a pill bottle from her apron, emptied two small, round, red pills into her hand, and handed them to Ivan. "Take these. I'll see you in the morning," she said before she walked away and out the doors. As he watched her, the boy realized that at some point, Drury must have left, too.

"Those are for pain," Etana said, observing the pills in Ivan's hand. "Or, at least, that's what I was told when I took them." He stared at them in his palm momentarily, then threw them aside.

"I don't need them."

The girl, barely noticing that he didn't take them, yawned with half-opened eyes and shifted down on her bed to lie in a more comfortable position. "These lights are so bright," she groaned, and covered her eyes with her arm.

"No, Etana. Come on, stay with me, now," Ivan urged as he reached over and shook her bed slightly. Etana put her arm back and looked at him groggily.

"She's gone. Just wake me up before dawn and I'll say I was up the whole time."

"I'm not risking you going into a coma," he said sternly in an attempt to keep her awake.

"Ugh…" Etana rolled her eyes and sat back up in her bed. "Entertain me, then."

Ivan looked back at her, confused. "Would you… like a story?"

"Fine," she shrugged. "Just keep it interesting."

Ivan racked his brain for a story to tell the girl to keep her awake. He recalled many that his mother used to tell him when he was a small boy, but they were all bedtime stories. He considered making one up on the spot, but couldn't think of any, and, honestly, wasn't any good at improvisation.

"I…I think I've got one," he told her, thinking it over.

"Go on, then," she urged, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Alright. Once upon a time," he began, "there was a little Hylian boy in Kondo. Every day, he would walk in Kondo Castle Town with his mother and his little sister, and he would see the Kondian soldiers marching about, and he vowed that one day he would become one of them. Then-"

"What was his name?" Etana cut in with a knowing smile.

Ivan let out a slight chuckle. "It seems you already have the answer to that question."

The girl giggled back. "Just clearing that up. So, then what?"

"Then," he continued, "he went through training and graduated head of his class. He became the captain of his squadron."

"Well, good for you," she commented with a wink.

"Why, thank you," Ivan responded, standing up and taking a formal bow to the girl, who giggled again. The smile remained on her face, through the pain from the cut on her cheek. "The captain was unmatched in skill with his blade-" he began pantomiming fighting with an invisible sword, performing various slices and attacks with such intensity that Etana could only giggle and watch with wonder. "-and slayed enemies by the thousands!" The boy finished his show of finesse with a brutal stab through the air.

"Thousands?" the girl asked skeptically, raising her eyebrows and trying to hold in a chortle.

"Yes, thousands!" he refuted as he aimed his invisible blade skyward, causing Etana to again roll her eyes. "And then, one fateful battle, his general gave him orders to sneak into position behind the enemy's army, hoping that he would be able to take out their catapults in the back and surround them if they retreated. But, on the way there, he saw something he hoped to never see…" Ivan paused dramatically.

"What was it?" Etana asked, her widened blue eyes genuinely curious.

"It…" he exhaled sharply and trailed off.

"Ivan, you don't have to tell it if you don't want to."

"No, you should probably know. I'm actually surprised Drury hasn't told you yet. He's still angry at me for it…"

"Drury doesn't speak to me outside of training, let alone tell me your life story."

"Yeah, well… he's a good friend," Ivan commented, a hint of a smile appearing on his sorrowful face.

"Well, if I should know… what happened?" Etana asked him, her head tilted slightly in both empathy and curiosity.

"It was… the captain's little sister," he continued, almost inaudibly. "She had – unknown to him – followed her brother into the Kondian army. She was a soldier on the front lines." Etana remained speechless, and Ivan drew in a deep breath, sitting back down on her bed. "As strong as she was, I couldn't help but worry about her. I was completely torn between my duties as captain and my duties as an older brother." He took in another breath, shakier this time. "I watched her burn alive as one of their flaming catapults hit her. I was right next to her, and all I could do was watch." Etana stared concernedly into the boys eyes, trying to find some hint that this tragedy was a joke, but he stared down at his knees. As she blinked, she saw what he saw, the scene of watching a loved one being burned and tortured through their demise, and lost her breath.

"Oh, Ivan, I-"

"Sometimes, I wonder," Ivan cut her off. "I wonder if I had done what I was told and took out those weapons, if she would be here still."

Etana swallowed hard, not sure what to say. She was taken aback by such a devastating story, and felt so badly that there was nothing that she could do about it. There was nothing she could say that wouldn't sound absolutely pathetic. So, instead she reached over and held the hand of the poor boy, who now hung his head and hid his face with his other hand.

"I thought I was ready to tell that story…" Ivan confessed, taking Etana's hand for comfort.

Feeling the need to say at least something, she replied, "You did what you thought was right. How would you have felt if that happened and you _weren't _there with her?" He brought his head up to look at her. "You did all that you could have. Don't regret."

Ivan stared down at the hand that he was holding. "When did the vengeful hothead become a consoling wiseman?" he asked, a slight smile creeping across his mouth.

"What? I'm a jack of all trades," she bantered, hoping to get a bigger smile out of him.

"That must be one bad head injury…" Ivan countered with a smirk.

"You want one just like it?" Etana asked jokingly with a threatening fist held in front of her face. The boy only held his grin – and her hand – and stared at her. "What?" she asked, staring back.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "You're just… interesting."

"Is this your way of asking for my life story now? Here," she started, sitting up completely on the medical bed and let go of his hand to cross her arms over her chest. "Once upon a time, I was born, and then I hit my head, and here I am. The end."

Ivan rose from his bed and sat next to Etana on hers. "You don't have to tell me. I just thought it might pass the time." As Etana looked out the window across from the bed to check when dawn would break, Ivan stared at her hand, which was placed on the white sheets to hold herself up across from him. Hesitantly, he reached toward her, stopped, and pulled back, all before she could look back at him.

"You already guessed my story when I was in the cell, anyway. What more do you want to know?" she asked, her smile now faded.

"Whatever you're willing to tell me."

"Okay, then," Etana began. "I was born while the Uprising was beginning to take place, when the band of Hylians was plotting to take the Triforce along with the Sacred Realm. I grew up with everyone around me learning magic." She closed her eyes and opened them again. "Dark magic. My uncle, one of the Supreme Interlopers, pushed me into learning it, too, against my parents' wishes. When they protested against the entire secret regime to protect me, they were killed."

Ivan reached out to touch the girl's hand, stroking it gently. "That's terrible."

"I didn't know them very well, for I was still quite young. One of the older agents told me this much." Etana, not yet grieving, allowed Ivan to rub her hand. He was warm, and the autumn night was beginning to chill her fingers and toes.

"Then," she continued, "my uncle tried training me day and night to use some sort of magic, but I just couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, magic did not flow through me. It was impossible. So, when he would get frustrated enough to leave me alone, I would train in physical combat. I eventually secluded myself from the other magic-wielders, and became an outcast. When my uncle finally sent me on this mission, I thought he had trusted in my combat skills." Etana licked her lips and shook her head slightly, disapprovingly. "Now I know that he wanted the same fate for me as my parents." Ivan stared at her, trying to find some hint of mourning or anger. There was nothing. "The end."

"No, not 'the end,'" he told her, squeezing her cold hand. "Then, you became an incredible warrior to fight back, to show them that you really do have power." He smiled at her. "That you have strength."

"How much strength?" she asked with an innocent grin, not believing what he had just told her.

"Enough strength…" Ivan threw his fist in the air. "…to slay a thousand men!"

Etana began to giggle. "A thousand?"

"Yes, a thousand!" he answered with the same exuberance as the first time he exclaimed it. The girl, still laughing, leaned back against her pillow and clutched her sore abdominals with her free hand. "Oh, Etana, don't hurt yourself," Ivan advised, giving her a worried look.

"It's fine, they've been sore for a few days," she replied reassuringly. "It's nothing new. But…" Etana closed her eyes and shivered under her covers, every disc in her spine shaking up and down. "…it's so cold." She opened her eyes again and looked out the window across from her bed, where the ground was blanketed in colorful leaves, and the branches on the trees were becoming bare against the bitter chill of autumn. "And I'm so tired." The girl began to feel internal pressure on her tear ducts, and her throat was closing up on her. "And I get cranky when I'm tired and I just want to go to bed and my mind is fried from everything going on and…" Two tears emerged from each of her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks, all the way down to her quivering lips, where they then disappeared. "Can I go to bed now?"

"Oh, poor overtired sweetheart," Ivan whispered as he held a warm hand to her cheek. Looking deep into her eyes and becoming entranced within them, he slowly leaned in toward her. The boy closed his eyes and lightly pressed his lips against hers, stopping the quivering immediately. He slid his hand that held Etana's up her arm, caressing her elbow, and then wrapping around her waist to pull her closer as he kissed her with increasing passion. Etana kissed him back, sharing the taste of saltwater that lingered on her lips from the tears, which ceased with the first kiss.

Pulling back, Ivan opened his eyes to stare back at the girl's. Hers half-opened out of exhaustion as she licked her lips to savor the taste of his, and fumbled, "Wha-what was that f-for?"

"Ssshhh…" he told Etana as he laid her down on the bed and pulled the blankets over her. When her head was rested on the pillow, he brushed her short, wavy blonde hair as far back as the bandage around her head would allow and kissed her forehead. "Sleep now."

"Don't go," she pleaded as her eyes closed completely, just as Ivan turned away. She opened her eyes one final time to see the boy lift the covers, causing a small breeze to chill her body briefly, and slip in bed with her. When she closed them for the final time, the last thing that she felt was the comforting warmth of his body against hers and his arms enclosing her completely, making her feel safe and at ease. They both slept peacefully.


	5. New Mission

Etana awoke to the sun's morning beams pouring onto her face, and she shivered in the cold autumn morning against the thin sheets. She sat up, looking to either side of her for Ivan. He wasn't there, but the younger nurse was.

"Good morning," she greeted Etana with a smile and grabbed a green tray with food on it nearby. "You sure are up early for only sleeping a half hour," she told her, placing the unappetizing meal on her lap. Half an hour? She had definitely been asleep longer than that.

"Where did Ivan go?" she asked, looking around the room and ignoring her breakfast.

"He left not too long ago. Told us that you had just fallen asleep, and then walked out." He had lied to keep her out of trouble? A tad childish, but she was grateful nonetheless.

"Alright, thank you," she nodded at the nurse, put her tray up, and jogged out to find him.

The halls outside of the infirmary were unfamiliar, as she couldn't remember trekking down them. Looking down each one, she eventually reasoned going straight, and started down the corridor. Why had he gone? Etana bit her lip worriedly as she approached the end of the hall, where it split into two directions. She saw a door leading outside down the left wing, and ran toward it, hoping that Ivan hadn't gotten too far in half an hour. Pushing the door open, the girl ran right into Drury, and stumbled back several feet.

"Goddesses, Drury, I just got over a concussion." She shook her head and looked up at him. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"We need to talk. Now." His facial expression and tone told her that she was about to get reprimanded, causing her to cringe.

"Uh-oh…" she groaned, staring down at the floor. "What did he tell you?" Drury tugged on her arm and dragged her out the doors, out to the large and chilly courtyard. He looked around before he spoke.

"He didn't have to tell me anything. I saw you two this morning." Etana squinted her eyes shut. _Idiot! _she told herself.

"Are we in trouble?" she asked, opening one eye back up.

Drury exhaled sharply. "No, but you're lucky I found you before someone else did. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"We didn't do anything!" she protested.

"You did enough," he replied coldly.

"Where is he?" Etana asked him, frantically looking around.

"Leave him alone."

The girl recoiled. "I…I don't understand. Why are you being so cryptic?"

"General Hyrule is looking for you. Go talk to him."

"What?" he eyes widened. "I thought you didn't tell anyone!"

"I didn't. He just needs to see you. And don't go looking for Ivan on your way." Drury stared at her hospital gown, loosely fitting her down to her knees, and the bandage still wrapped around her head. "Do they know that you're out here?"

"Yeah," she answered annoyed as she undid the bandage, cringing slightly as it tugged on her hair. "But, just out of curiosity… How much trouble would we be in?"

"You would go back to prison, and Ivan would be given the boot. You _need _to be more careful. I can't be looking out for you two all the time!" he scolded her.

"I don't need you looking out for me!"

"Well, Ivan does."

"What?" Etana asked him, angry and confused.

"Goddesses, you cause him hell that you don't even understand…"

"Enough with the cryptic! Where is he?!"

Drury shook his head. "Go talk to Hyrule."

"I…" She paused, and her rage turned to fear and innocence. "I don't know what I did…"

"It'll help you if you _go talk to Hyrule._ Come on," he put his hand on one of her shoulder blades. "I'll walk you there."

Etana's troubled mind occupied her the entire way. What had she done? Ivan had seemed perfectly alright the night before. Besides, he was the one who kissed her. There was no way that any of this was her fault. But, still, something had to be wrong with him. She found it especially strange that he would run off without telling her…

As they climbed the stairs up to Hyrule's office, Etana stumbling on a few steps in her distracted state, she glanced out of each window that lined the staircase walls in a desperate search for Ivan. Drury, although concerned for her, kept his hand on her shoulder blade to lead her up to their general's office, to where they had been summoned. Approaching the door, Drury rapped on the wooden door twice, but it was all background noise to the girl, who had her eyes fixed on a mysterious figure walking about outside the castle walls. Was it Ivan? The figure was too far away to tell.

That couldn't be Ivan, could it? What would he be doing all the way out there? Was he running away? Was he hiding from her? What did she do? Why was he acting like this? Why won't Drury tell her anything? Why was-

"Etana!" Drury called, shaking her shoulder. Etana jumped violently from being startled, then squinted her eyes shut and shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, trying to focus on whatever this important meeting was to which she was being literally dragged.

"I said, 'come in,'" Hyrule repeated, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Etana nodded and hastily entered his office, which, like all the other rooms, was made out of wood. There was a wooden chair and table, upon which were multiple papers and a huge map of both Ilom and Kondo. A clock hung upon the opposite wall, ticking away the seconds that Ivan could be running away…

The general looked Etana up and down in the same fashion that Drury had not too long ago, and with a suspicious look, inquired "what happened to you?" The girl gazed down at her hospital gown and reached a hand up to touch the cut on her cheek. She cringed and shivered simultaneously, just realizing that she was wearing a thin sheet against the cold weather of autumn. She rubbed her bare legs together in an attempt to conserve body heat, and crossed her arms over her chest for the same reason.

"Minor injuries at training," she lied, not wanting to seem weak at this seemingly important meeting. "They just wanted to make sure that I would be ok." As she swept her hair behind her pointed Hylian ear, her middle two fingers met something warm and sticky on her head. The girl looked at her hand with a confused expression, concluded the red substance to be blood, and quickly folded her hands behind her back to hide it.

"Maybe this should be saved for another time," Hyrule responded, observing this suspicious action.

"No!" Drury cut in nervously, looking back and forth between the two. "This should be discussed now."

"Miss Plamen," the general continued, agreeing with his subordinate, "the time is nigh for your first mission."

Against all that was distressing her, Etana beamed. Her eyes lit up with anticipation, and she failed to hold back a smile. "Really?" she asked, the dimples on her cheeks becoming more and more prominent. _Finally, a chance to prove myself._

Hyrule nodded and couldn't help but smile back at the girl. How could he? Her smile was contagious. Regaining his serious composure, he strode over to the table and picked up a stone that he could barely wrap his fingers around. It had a luster like black amethyst, and seemed to reflect the light of the morning sun that the black should have naturally absorbed. Brown twine was wrapped intricately around it to create a loop so that it could be worn around one's neck. As he held it up, Etana's eyes were completely fixated upon it. This was the Dusk Stone, the very stone she had sent from Ilom to purloin for their evil schemes. Or, at least, that's what she was told.

She could not avert her gaze from it. There was a sort of serene beauty about the stone, yet it coalesced with an eerie sense of yearning and loneliness. The power of it seemed to call to Etana – no, scream to her – to take it. This would prove to everyone back in her homeland of what she was capable. It would be her vengeance against them, to return it to Ilom, dangle it in front of their astounded faces, and then destroy it right then and there.

But…then what would she have in the end? Obviously not Ilom, which she didn't even want anymore, and not the people in Kondo. Most importantly, she wouldn't have Ivan. The loneliness of the stone pervaded Etana's heart as she finally switched her gaze from the stone to the window next to the wooden table. The window was higher than the previous one she was looking out of, and she could not determine if that speck down below was real or a trick her brain was playing on her.

"Miss Plamen," Hyrule called her attention back to him. The girl snapped her head back around to face the general, hurting her head in the process. She winced slightly before holding eye contact with his hazel eyes, trying hard not to become entranced within the stone yet again. Holding it by the twine, Hyrule handed it over to Etana. "We need you to deliver this over to Ilom."

Etana widened her eyes and shook her head out of disbelief. "Wait, what?" She took a step away from the object being offered to her. "You can't be serious. This is the stone that they need to-"

"So they think," Drury cut in, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. "Let him finish, Etana."

"My apologies," she nodded, still trying to hold her gaze from the evil Dusk Stone. Drury withdrew from the conversation and turned his head to stare outside, concerned for the speck that was indeed down there.

"Take it," Hyrule told the girl. Unsure, she took a step forward and hesitantly wrapped two fingers around the twine, not wanting to touch the stone itself. Etana held it in front of her contemplative face, twirling it by the string to examine all sides of it. "Breathtaking, isn't it?" he told her as he watched her eyes analyze it intently.

"To say the least," she muttered, becoming captivated within its dark and mysterious power.

"Good, because it's a fake," he stated, raising his thick eyebrows at her.

"No way!" Etana cried in disbelief, now gripping the stone itself with her bloody fingers, examining it all over again. "It looks so real…"

"It had better. It took over a year to make." All of the empty feelings that filled Etana prior had all disintegrated. It was just a rock. "It's made out of quartz, and is modeled exactly from the real Dusk Stone."

"…So Ilom will think it real, try using it, and reveal their plan…" the girl concluded.

"…which you will then report back here," Hyrule finished. "We don't know why they need this, but we do know it is crucial to them."

"Alright, alright," Etana agreed, nodding and clutching the quartz tight in her grasp. "But…" she added, unsure, "what do I do? Knock on their door and say, 'Hey, I'm back, and look what I found!'?"

"Why, no! You fought very hard to obtain this precious Dusk Stone. You barely made it back home alive to tell the tale of how you were almost captured and tortured for information, and faced their general in battle himself!" he told her with a wink. The girl nodded and smiled, understanding the role she would be playing. Not wiping the blood from the rock, she placed the loop of twine over her head and allowed the fake to dangle around her neck.

"So, when do I go?" she asked eagerly, a devious smile creeping across her mouth. How satisfying it will be to fool Ilom…

Drury, reentering the conversation after a long thought process, answered, "When that head injury has healed. Why you took that bandage off is beyond me," he muttered with rolling eyes.

"Tomorrow night, then… after we knight you."

Again, Etana beamed. "Tomorrow, then. Thank you, sir," she added. Then, with a bow, she turned on the balls of her feet and respectfully strode out of his office, her smile glued to her face. As she began to descend the staircase, the girl absently glanced out of the window again, and was reminded of the person standing down there. Seeing him, her smile faded, and every uneasy and wounded feeling inside of her resurfaced. "Ivan…" she whispered, beginning to fly down the stone steps in bare feet. Etana considered stopping at her quarters for some decent clothes and shoes, but knew that she needed to see Ivan immediately. She ran across the hallways to the front gate, outside of which Ivan stood. Each step brought a small pound to her head, which she ignored as best as she could so as to not lose pace.

The front gate that led outside was guarded by two soldiers on either side, each holding a shield and spear. As they saw Etana approaching, they crossed their spears to block the exit. "Halt!" they commanded, and Etana skidded to a stop.

"Let me through!" she insisted, stomping her foot in an annoyed manner.

The guards shook their heads. "We have specific orders not to let you out," the one on the left explained. _Glad to know that I'm trusted, _Etana thought to herself.

"Captain Kinley is out there and I need to retrieve him," she told them, putting her hands on her hips. "Now step aside!"

"I'm afraid we can't let you, Miss Plamen," the second replied as they both stood their ground. Etana pouted, then quickly looked around her to devise a plan. She was going to confront Ivan no matter what to find out what was troubling him so…

There! A large window above the door! Granted, it adds elegance, but could be a defensive design flaw. Eyeing the guard on the right and his four foot long shield, Etana took several steps back and prepared to charge.

"Wh-what are you doing?" her target asked, a hint of fear in his voice. They both put their shields up in front of them and shuffled in the way of the exit. Without answering the question posed, Etana sprinted toward the two cowering soldiers, who now had their shields at an angle to protect them from both in front and above. _Perfect. _When she was within two feet of them, the girl jumped on the large metal shield, and, using it as a boost, jumped from that up to the large windowsill, just barely grabbing it with her hands. Luckily, the blood on her fingers had dried and become sticky, allowing her to hang above the guards without slipping back down. Mustering all of her arm strength, Etana pulled herself up and onto the sill, just in front of the multicolored stained glass, and looked down at the two bewildered guards.

"Man, I just _love _being an assassin!" the girl bantered sarcastically before bashing the glass with her elbow. She tried not to show pain at the glass that entered her elbow (she usually broke windows with her foot, but, alas, she had no protective wear on them), and turned away to look down below.

Dropping from this height of about fifteen feet would prove dangerous for Etana, who could barely handle the injuries that she already had. She looked on either side of the window for some way to glide down at least a couple of feet safely. On both sides, flag poles protruded from the wall about five feet below and extended outward and upward to where the window was. The girl had absolutely no equipment or tools on her whatsoever, and was forced to compromise. She took off her thin hospital gown, leaving her to shiver in just her black sports bra and spandex, and ripped it to make one, long piece of fabric. Taking one end in one hand, she jumped toward the pole, flung the other side over it, caught it with her free hand, and allowed herself to slide downward toward the stone wall. Before she hit her back against it, Etana let the fabric go and dropped down to the ground, landing on her hands and feet in a crouched position as the fake Dusk Stone hit her chest. She let a painful groan slip before recovering and running toward the soldier by the lone maple tree.


	6. Insult to Injury

**So, I'm kind of running behind on my chapters here. It's basically a combination of school/boyfriend in the navy/working on multiple stories at once/just plain laziness. I'll work on it, so don't fret, those of you who have bothered to read thus far (thank you!).**

* * *

Squinting, Ivan could see a figure running toward him that was… half-naked? His feelings of confusion and, well, slight embarrassment were flooded out with stunning shock as he realized who this person was – Etana.

The girl sprinted the entire way, her scraped feet leaving a trail of blood-spots on the grass, and the blood from the back of her head cascading down her spine. Keeping her eyes fixed upon the soldier, Etana overlooked a rock that protruded slightly from the ground, enough so that her foot would get caught on it, causing her to fall and land on her hands and knees on the cold ground. She didn't get up. _What a great day, _she thought sarcastically to herself, struggling to cope with the pain before attempting to get back on her feet. The blood on her back now streamed down the sides and trickled to the ground. _Son of a –_

"Etana!" Ivan called out to her as he, too, ran to meet her halfway. As he neared her, the girl finally managed to struggle back to her feet, wincing as she did so. Ivan, completely appalled at her physical state, recoiled. She was bathed in blood and painted with scrapes, and where her skin was still visible, goose bumps seemed to plaster her entire body. "Etana…" he whispered, hastily taking off his cloak and wrapping it around the shivering girl's shoulders with a kiss on her forehead. "What in the goddesses' names are you doing here?"

Etana wrapped the fur-lined cloak more tightly around herself, grateful at his gesture, but not showing it. "You tell me," she spat back, glaring at him, then quickly replaced her glance with innocent and wondering eyes.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry… I just needed space for a little bit to think…" he confessed with a sorrowful sigh.

"Oh, so you're leaving me already? Fantastic," she added with bitter sarcasm that stung him like a wasp. Biting her lip to hold back a tear, Etana turned on the bleeding balls of her feet back toward the castle.

"I highly doubt you went through so much trouble to get here just to make a dramatic exit," Ivan called after her, hiding the pain from her comment and from her departure.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" she asked as she turned back around, tears now becoming inevitable. "Nobody is answering any of my questions, you're avoiding me, and everything just gets more and more frustrating! So, are you going to explain _anything_, or am I just wasting my time?"

Ivan was silent. He stared into Etana's blue eyes, his mind racing but his expression stoic. It hurt him to hurt her, but, he concluded, he had no choice. He knew how he had to answer this question, and knew how furious it would make her. But he had to do it for the best for both of them… right?

The boy swallowed hard. "We can't do this," he stated simply, his conscience already flooding with guilt, but still knowing that this was the right thing to do. "I'm sorry…"

Etana felt her heart shatter inside of her and the pieces fall into her stomach. This is what she got for letting him in. What else was she to expect? In her mind, the girl cursed herself, called herself a fool. On the outside, she bit her lip harder in an attempt to prevent even more tears.

She nodded in a frustrated manner. "Am I allowed to leave _now?_" she asked in a higher-pitched voice, which often happened when she was in or near tears.

"Etana, let me explain, please," Ivan begged, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off coldly. To the boy, she might as well have punched him in the face.

"No, I understand," Etana replied, regaining the composure in her tone, but not being able to stop from leaking tears. "You wanted to make up for putting me in the infirmary, and that's all it was. Pity. Well, thank you." she put on a sardonic smile, and added, "It was kind of you."

"Will you _stop that_?!" Ivan scolded, causing the girl to recoil. "Stop being so _cynical _and _sarcastic _and just _let me talk_!"

"What is there to say?!" she refuted, glaring at him through flaming saltwater. Etana dropped her soldiers, which were previously tensed up in anger, and shook her head. "Nothing…"

"What about, 'I love you'?" the boy asked with raised eyebrows, staring back at her.

Etana froze. She was sure her mind should have been racing, but it was completely blank. She had no idea what to think at all, and seemed that she lost the ability to even do so. Only when she took an awkward gasp for air did she realize that she had forgotten to breathe, too. In the emptiness of her mind, one word seemed to form, and her brain permitted her to speak it aloud.

"Wh- what?" she stuttered, a fearful expression on her face.

"Now will you listen to me?" Ivan requested. Etana, still paralyzed out of fear, barely managed a slow shake of her head. When she did not speak, the boy continued, "Well, I'm going to talk anyway. Did you receive your mission from General Hyrule?" She nodded in response and held her hand on the cloak wrapped around her just above where the stone dangled. "Etana, do you… do you understand how truly dangerous this is? What could happen to you?"

Etana gave no response. She was doing her best to listen, but her mind was so distracted that it was hard to concentrate. Yes, she knew the mission was dangerous. Why, if they caught her, she would be charged with treason, and that didn't go over very well in Ilom, not at all. She shivered inside Ivan's warm cloak.

"I… I think it would be easier on you if you weren't distracted by this." The girl only shook her head again. She didn't want to listen to the rest, but, being frozen in place, she had no choice. "I know what it's like to have somebody in combat whom you care about, and how it can compromise everything. We can't be selfish; the initiative is our priority. Etana…" Ivan shook his head as tears began forming in his eyes, too. "…it's time to let go."

Etana chuckled sarcastically through her cascading tears. "Enough strength to slay a thousand men… and you can't even hold onto me?" She ceased her laughter and glared at him again as if to burn his mind with hers. "How can you call yourself a man?"

"Do you think this is easy?! Do you think I haven't thought about this over and over for days?!" Ivan's frustration was visible by his cold glare and tensed muscles. "My goddesses, Etana, can't you think of anyone but yourself?" The girl took two steps back from him, devastated at his stinging words. "But you know what? What else am I to expect from an Ilomian?"

Tears now flooded Etana's eyes. Ivan's words stabbed her straight through the heart, and set it ablaze just like her hot tears. Just realizing what he had said, the boy widened his eyes out of fear. He had that terrible feeling in his gut that one gets when they wish that they could rewind time a few seconds, and the devastation they feel when they horribly realize that they can't. "I… I didn't mean that," he stuttered almost inaudibly. Ivan held a hand up to the girl's face, and whispered "I'm so sorry…"

Etana slapped the hand away and took another step away from him. "No, don't," she told him with a disgusted look. Almost tearing it out of anger, she ripped Ivan's cloak off of her back and threw it on the ground. She shivered in her spandex and tried not to show the pain the cold dealt to her wounds. "You got what you wanted. Goodbye."

Doing her best to ignore the cold, Etana sprinted away from the castle, from Ivan, and from everything that she had worked so hard to obtain.


	7. Stubborn

The wind was picking up as the sun ascended into the sky, and falling brown leaves were gently caressing Etana's face as they danced by with the gust. She leaned her bloody head against the trunk of a tree (the third one from the maple tree by the castle, halfway across the plain) and repositioned herself on one of the higher branches, looking up at the cloud-forming sky. The clouds were thick and grey, implying that rain was imminent.

"What now, Etana?" she asked herself, blowing her bangs up in front of her puffy eyes. What _was _she to do now? Go back to Ilom? Well, that was the plan to begin with… but she wasn't wanted there, and quite honestly, she didn't want to try to impress them anymore. She had heard of a little town just outside Death Mountain. Maybe she could start over there…

Suddenly, Etana heard approaching footsteps crunching leaves from below. They were slow, casual steps, and when she looked down to see who had found her, Drury's annoyed face greeted her from below. He was holding a fur cloak and a pair of shoes in his arm, which the girl guessed was for her.

"Etana, what are you doing?" he inquired, standing at the base of the tree.

"Leaving. There's no reason for me to be here anymore."

Drury sighed. "Please come down."

"Why should I? Give me one good reason!" Etana commanded, shivering violently as she picked a fallen leaf from her hair.

"I have warm clothes for you," he offered, waving them in the air in an attempt to entice her with them. _They do look warm…_

"I'm not cold," she lied, failing to hold back another shiver. The girl crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"It's going to rain soon," Drury predicted, looking up at the grey sky.

"I don't care."

"Etana, please," he begged. "We won't have to go back right now. We can just stay here." She didn't answer, but only stared down at him in contemplation. Could she trust him? He could easily take her back with him; she wouldn't be able to put up any sort of fight with her injuries. Then again, if that was his intention, Drury could climb the tree and take her down…

Etana nodded at him and dangled her legs over the branch, then leapt down to the cold ground. She let out a groan as she landed on her hands and feet, just as she did when she escaped the castle, and reopened those wounds as she did so. Some leaves fell off of the branch that she rattled and into her short, blonde hair. Drury hustled over to the injured girl and wrapped the cloak around her bare shoulders, the fur warming her instantly. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel the cold sting of déjà vu…

The tree let a few pieces of loose bark fall to the ground as Etana leaned against it, huddling herself in the warm fur. She wanted to thank Drury, but decided to not speak a word until he revealed why he had come for her. After taking the shoes and covering her callused feet, she looked at him with wondering eyes, waiting for him to explain.

The Kondian soldier held out his elbow for the girl to take. "Would you like to take a walk?" he suggested with friendly hazel eyes.

Etana gave him a suspicious glare, stepping backward. "I told you that I'm not going back." Was this a trick? If so, it wasn't very well thought out.

Drury smiled and shook his head, keeping his elbow extended toward her. "You lead the way." Etana couldn't help but give a slight grin back as she took his arm and clung to it, leading them away from Kondo.

For a while, neither of them said anything to each other. They walked in silence together, taking slow strides through the field and letting the cold wind bite their ears. The girl didn't want to talk, and Drury, seeming to sense that, allowed her to speak whenever she felt like. After a while, Etana took a deep breath, exhaled it, and looked up at her escort.

"Why did you come for me?" she asked, slowing her steps even further. "Is it because Ivan sent you?"

"Ivan thinks I'm training," he answered plainly.

"Oh, so Hyrule sent you."

Drury let out a slight chuckle. "If he knew you were outside the castle right now, we'd both be dead." Etana widened her eyes at the last part of his sentence. "Oh, not _dead _dead," he explained when he realized her fear. "But we'd be in a lot of trouble."

"You're afraid I'll get you in trouble," she declared with furrowed eyebrows, annoyed at having to be babysat.

"I came because you need me here."

"Do not!" Etana contested, stopping in her tracks.

"Oh, ok," Drury replied sarcastically. "Guess I'll just go back then…" After saying this, the soldier turned back to the castle and started toward it, not looking back. As he walked, he counted under his breath "Three… two… one…"

"Wait!" the girl called after him as if on cue. Her footsteps hurried to catch up to Drury, who was smirking at his accurate prediction that she would run back. Etana removed the fake Dusk Stone from around her neck and handed it to the boy. "Give this back to Hyrule for me, then," she added with a smirk of her own.

Chortling, Drury responded, "You're good, Plamen." Etana, with a triumphant grin, put the rock back around her neck and tucked it into her cloak for safekeeping.

"Drury, believe me, I don't want to leave this. But…" Tears started forming in the girl's eyes, and resisting them was futile. "…but what's the point of staying if nobody wants me?"

"Oh, Etana," the soldier whispered and took her into his arms as she broke down. Her sobs caused her entire body to shake, and water began to fall from the sky, too. The goddesses knew, Etana thought, they knew how Etana had never been wanted. Yet, here, she thought she had finally found someone who at least enjoyed her presence. Clearly, she was wrong, and the gods mourned. So, here she was again, unwanted, alone, and lost.

"Hyrule obviously wants you," Drury suggested, the tears of the goddesses cascading from his short black hair and down his face.

"As a spy," she countered between heavy breaths. "As a tool."

"Well, I think you're forgetting someone standing right in front of you." He looked down at her with a warm smile.

"Drury, if you're going to declare your love for me, too, this is about to get really awkward," Etana confessed, a slight chuckle breaking through her sobs. The soldier chuckled with her, which eased her nerves greatly.

"Sorry, darling. I guess your irresistible charm didn't have an effect on me," he taunted, rolling his eyes. The girl giggled more, and her tears ceased.

"But, do you mean it?" she asked with innocent eyes. "You really want me here?"

"Yeah," he admitted, the corners of his lips turning up as if he had just realized it true. "I mean, what else would I do if I didn't have to save your skin _all the time?_" Etana continued her laughter, now thankful to have her friend here.

The two were silent for a while as Drury drew the girl in to embrace her. Drury, while relieved to have made Etana feel better, was now faced with the problem of returning her to the castle. She was probably less stubborn now that she wasn't upset, but, he concluded, Etana was a tad unpredictable. For all he knew, she might run off to Zora's Domain and evolve to live among them.

"Now," he continued, pulling away, "what can I do to bring you back with me?"

Etana glared and furrowed her brow. "Beat up Ivan."

"Well, I already had that planned for today," he teased, "but I can deliver an extra beating exclusively from you."

"Drury…" she began sorrowfully after a slight chortle. "…what happened?"

The boy let out a sigh and looked down at her. "He does love you. You know that, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Feeling the love…" Etana replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Etana…"

"What? He's not exactly proving it!" she contested with balled fists, frustrated and annoyed.

"Because he's scared, Etana. He doesn't want to lose you."

"L-lose me?" she stuttered. "He doesn't have me…"

"Doesn't he?" the boy suggested with a knowing look. "I know you have feelings for him."

The girl fell silent, her crystal blue eyes falling to the ground. Of course she had feelings for him; she thought about his kiss every waking moment. But love? No, it wasn't out of the question, but… but… Etana clutched her aching head. She had originally come to Kondo for evil, then for redemption, now for… for what?

She looked around her, across the plain that was becoming swampy under the pouring rain. _Why am I here? _Etana asked herself, simultaneously mouthing the words that she thought. "I…" she began aloud, struggling to make sense of the thoughts in her mind. "I am here… because of Ivan." Her eyes were still glued to the ground, explaining things more to herself than she was to Drury.

"He told you?" the soldier asked, astounded. The girl gave him a confused look.

"Told me what?" she inquired.

"Ivan…" he sighed, looked around, and continued, "Ivan was the one who suggested you be used as a spy. He was the one who got you out of that cell." Etana melted on the inside like a little girl, but immediately pushed her feelings away, still trying to figure things out.

She shook her head. "No… this spot. I am in this spot…" she looked down at her feet, her shoes becoming soggy in the rain, "because Ivan drove me here."

Drury chuckled at the girl. "No, you're here because you are absolutely the most stubborn Hylian I have ever met in my entire life, Etana. You just _don't give in. _Goddesses, what a pain in my butt you've been." With his finger, the boy lifted up her chin and smiled.

Etana blinked rapidly three times and held her breath. "Yeah," she whispered, a grin appearing on her face. Her one-sided smile looked almost maniacal. "I'm stubborn, and Ivan is stupid!" she exclaimed, looking around as if she had just had an epiphany.

"Yes, Etana, I've known all of this for quite a while now."

**_Whoo, finally got out of my block! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; it kinda makes me giggle. But don't get too comfortable yet... we can't forget about that mysterious and shady character..._**

_**Also, I don't own Angharrad. She belongs to Patrick Ness and the **_**Chaos Walking ****_series. I just love making references to my favorite stories :)_**

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The girl shook her head rapidly. "I'm not leaving him, Drury." She turned around to leave, and looked back at the soldier with a glint in her eye. "And he's not leaving me, either."

"Wait!" he called after her just as she took a step back toward the castle, stumbled, and almost fell. Before Etana could angrily respond, she heard a sweet tune from behind her. She had never heard it before, but it sounded like it had an alluring power… like it could draw something forward…

Suddenly, faintly in the distance, Etana heard the rapid _clip clop _of hooves approaching from the castle. Within only a few seconds, a beautiful yet powerful chestnut mare stood in front of Drury and whinnied, shaking her hair in glee.

"How did-" the girl began, bewildered.

"Take her," he cut her off, handing her the reins. "It's dangerous to go alone." Drury gave her a knowing smile and gestured her to get on the saddle. Etana nodded, grasped the saddle and swung herself atop the antsy and jittery horse.

"Thank you," she told him as she held the reigns in her hands, still sticky with dried blood.

"Hi-yup, Angharrad!" he called, slapping her back twice, and off Etana went to get her soldier back.


End file.
